Heads Up! Wear a Helmet on the Slopes

Use your head this winter and wear a helmet. Statistics show that use of helmets have reduced skiing/snowboarding head injuries up to 50 percent.

The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) advocates the use of helmets and encourages educating yourself and your children on their benefits and limitations. Many skiers and snowboarders are wearing them, and they are making a difference in reducing and preventing injury. Research has shown that the use of helmets has reduced skiing/snowboarding head injury 30 percent to 50 percent.

Slow Down, Speed Racer!

Wear a helmet, but ride or ski as if you’re not wearing one. A helmet is not a license to push your limits and take unnecessary risks. Continue to ride and ski responsibly and maintain control. You’ll improve safety on the slopes and help reduce serious accidents and fatalities.

Get the Right Fit

When it comes to helmets, fit is most important — not too small, not too big. You don’t want to grow into a helmet. It needs to fit now. And if it doesn’t fit, it can’t protect your head. Here are a few tips to ensure you get the helmet that’s right for you:

Get something engineered to work well with goggles. A well-fitting system will provide great protection for the face and forehead from cold wind and snow and still allow adequate ventilation for the goggles. Bring in your goggles when you buy your helmet.

The helmet should not be removable without unbuckling the strap and should fit comfortably with no pressure points.

The helmet should conform to established standards. Work with a knowledgeable salesperson at a reputable store regarding appropriate fit for a helmet and to answer your questions.

Find the right fit. When you’re trying on a helmet, place it on your head until the front edge extends down to about an inch from the top of the eyebrows.

Make sure the helmet fits the head snugly from side to side and from front to back. When properly placed, the helmet should not easily roll forward or backward.

Ride or Ski Responsibly

Behavior on the mountain is first and foremost — it has as much to do with safety if not more than wearing a helmet. Equipment is your second line of defense. Be mindful of your limits as a skier or snowboarder and the limits of a helmet in protecting you. A helmet may be the difference between a major and minor injury, but it can’t protect from every foreseeable mishap. So do your part: Ride or ski responsibly.

DID YOU KNOW?

For every 10,000 people on the slopes, three people will sustain a head injury requiring medical attention.

30-50 percent of head injuries can be reduced by helmets. Helmets may be the difference between a major and a minor injury.

Alpine skiers are three times more likely than a snowboarder to be involved in a collision.

Save Your Skull Program

Renown Children’s Hospital has teamed up with Kohl’s Cares to educate kids and families about safety with the Save Your Skull program. This year-round program promotes seat belt, helmet and pedestrian safety as well as teaches kids about the dangers of distracted driving and driving under the influence.